


Five Times Derek wished he'd done things differently...

by orphan_account



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Five Times
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-10
Updated: 2015-08-10
Packaged: 2018-04-13 23:13:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4541103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>...and One Time he didn't.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Five Times Derek wished he'd done things differently...

**Author's Note:**

> Title: Five Times Derek wished he'd done things differently, and One Time he didn't  
> Fandom: Teen Wolf  
> Pairings: eventually Derek/Paige  
> Warnings: none  
> Word Count: 1,014  
> Disclaimer: I DON’T own anyone or anything. I DON’T own the characters. The fanfic is written for fun, NOT for profit.

Up until his teenage years, Derek hadn’t done much he would regret. Growing up in the middle of a strong pack as the second youngest Hale, he had always felt protected, had always felt like somehow, problems would be solved or go away. Somehow, things would work out. If not, his mother would eventually take care of it.

But then things had slowly but steadily started to spiral out of control. He wished Paige had never caught his attention, that he hadn’t even come across her to begin with. He wished he hadn’t fallen for her, and hadn’t sparked her interest in him either.

Because thanks to him, Paige was no more. Peter’s idea to give her the bite had sounded so good at first. After all, he couldn’t see how she would continue to like him if she ever found out what he was… A monster…

If only he had talked to her. If only he had been honest. If only he had trusted her judgement, and believed that yes, Paige would still like him, even though he was a werewolf. That she would still see a boy in him, not a monster.

When Derek wished he had done things differently, he was holding a dying Paige in his arms, desperately wishing he could go back in time and make it all good again.

From that day on, bad decisions seemed to haunt him wherever he went. The second time he wished he had done things differently, he stood outside the ruins of what had once been the beautiful Hale House. Nothing was left but ashes now, and a pain in the depth of his chest that would never go away again.

Of course Derek knew he hadn’t killed them. He hadn’t set the house on fire. He hadn’t blocked the secret exits. No.

But he had told Kate all about them. Had fallen for her. Hard. For the first time after Paige, he had felt something, had felt like there was someone who cared for him like he cared for her. Kate, an older woman who knew so much, and taught him even more.

And then she had shown that real face that was uglier than the one of the worst monster. She had killed them, but he had made it possible. Guilt was tearing at his heart, threatening to rip it apart. He barely realised how Laura pulled her arm around him in a protective gesture, whispering in his ear that she would never leave him alone again, that nothing would come between the two Hales. Ever again.

But then he had let her leave New York without him, and for the third time, he wished he had done things differently. If only he had gone with her. Laura was strong, of course she was. There was a reason why she had become alpha.

But still...

And then, when he had finally followed her, she had been gone. Killed by Uncle Peter. And once again, he found himself unable to do anything but stand and stare, and slip a little further into the darkness that filled his heart, a little bit more with every loss, every bad decision.

If only he could do things right again. If only…

Starting his own pack once he had become an alpha? That had seemed to be a good idea. He would take care of his little pack, and would make sure those lost teenagers would have a bright future ahead. After all, the bite was a gift for a reason.

Of course things had gone wrong again. First, there had been Jackson. Arrogant butt Jackson who wanted the bite because of the power. In shock, Derek had witnessed how the change hadn’t happening though, how the guy had turned into something else. A real monster this time. And again, it was Derek who blamed himself. Who wished he had done things differently for the fourth time, and hadn’t given the bite to a guy like this.

But there had still been Erica, Boyd and Isaac. They had shifted just fine. They had been his pack for a while. Until...things had decided to get messy again.

They had turned from him. And eventually, had lost them. One after the other. They said losing a pack member was like losing a limb. By now, he was surprised he had still anything left to lose. Torn apart and guilty to the point of madness, Derek found himself regretting a decision for the fifth time.

Could good things still happen to him? Could he make decisions that wouldn’t lead straight to hell and into chaos? Derek doubted it when he left Beacon Hills again. For how long? He didn’t know. He could stay in Mexico for a while, or visit Cora in Brazil. He could return to New York, but the thought was enough to let his heart ache with painful memories instantly.

And then he had run into her. She of all people was the last one he had expected to see in Los Angeles. He hadn’t even planned on staying for long. Aimlessly, he would go from town to town, see wherever his messed up fate would lead him.

It had led him straight back to Paige. Not-dead, now-werewolf Paige. The one who had decided to start fresh after healing and eventually taking the bite, and had headed to the City of Angels once she had been old enough.

And for once, fate turned out to be kind to him. Because Paige didn’t blame him. Not even for the split of a second. Because Paige was happy to see him, and invited him to stay. For her. To start fresh as well.

The pack in Beacon Hills had often teased him for his grumpy face. Sourwolf he’d been called by Stiles. But ever since Paige was back by his side, the grumpy face was gone, instead had been replaced by a true, bright smile that put the sun to shame at times, and for the first time in years, he had made the right decision.


End file.
